Severe Cyclonic Storm Laila was the first cyclonic storm to affect southeastern India in May since the 1990 Andhra Pradesh cyclone. The first tropical cyclone of the annual season, Laila developed on May 17 in the Bay of Bengal from a persistent area of convection. Strengthening as it tracked northwestward, it became a severe cyclonic storm on May 19. The next day, Laila made landfall in Andhra Pradesh, and it later dissipated over land. It caused flooding and damage along its path. Laila is an Urdu/Arabic name, meaning Night. It was the worst storm to hit Andhra Pradesh in the last 14 years. Meteorological history In the middle of May 2010, an area of convection, or thunderstorms, persisted about 865 miles (1400 km) south of the Indian city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the Bay of Bengal. It was initially disorganized, although satellite imagery indicated a mid-level circulation. After a few days, the convection began consolidating around a developing low-level circulation, and rainbands became evident. With low amounts of wind shear in the region, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed its chances of development as fair. The official warning agency in the basin – the India Meteorological Department (IMD) – classified the system as Depression BOB 001 at 0900 UTC on May 17. About three hours after the depression was first classified, the IMD upgraded the system to a deep depression, indicating sustained winds of at least . Late on May 17, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Cyclone 01B, based on further organization. By that time, it was located about 485 miles (780 km) east-southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and was moving westward due to its position southwest of the subtropical ridge. The IMD upgraded the deep depression to Cyclonic Storm Laila early on May 18. With further consolidation of the convection throughout the day, the JTWC noted that the storm "[appeared] to be rapidly intensifying", which is a term referring to a quick drop in barometric pressure that usually coincides with a sharp increase in winds. By late on May 18, an eye feature became evident on satellite imagery, and at 0000 UTC on May 19, the JTWC assessed Laila as producing peak winds of , the equivalent of a minimal hurricane. A few hours later, the IMD upgraded Laila to a severe cyclonic storm. After reaching peak intensity, Laila briefly decelerated as it moved around